Effective Control of Parasites

Things to do now

Steps you should be taking now to protect your herd

Beef

Monitor liver and rumen fluke by faecal egg counting before turnout. If necessary, treat with an appropriate product to kill adult fluke. Speak to your vet or animal health advisor about which product to use

If possible, turn out first grazing season cattle, such as dairy x beef calves and autumn-born weaned suckled calves, onto low risk pasture, eg not grazed by cattle last year. If using pasture grazed by youngstock last year, implement a control plan to protect against gut worms

Spring-born suckler calves that are still suckling are not likely to need any treatment for worms. Any larvae on the pasture will be consumed by their mothers which will be mostly immune

Dairy

Monitor liver and rumen fluke by faecal egg counting before turnout. If necessary, treat with an appropriate product to kill adult fluke. Speak to your vet or animal health advisor about which product to use

If possible, turn out first grazing season calves such as replacement heifers, onto low risk pastures, eg pastures not grazed by cattle last year. If using pasture grazed by youngstock last year, implement a control plan to protect against gut worms

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Anthelmintics are an important part of the toolkit farmers have available to control parasites in or on their cattle. To ensure these products keep working effectively it is vital to use them in the correct way.

Products should be chosen to specifically target the parasite and life cycle stage present, the time of year and previous treatment history. Even before a product is administered it is vital to ensure it is stored correctly and used before its expiry date. Dosing equipment should be calibrated before a treatment session.

Cattle should be dosed according to their individual liveweight if possible. Under-dosing can lead to increased selection of drug resistant parasites and over-dosing may require adjustments to withdrawal periods and can cause toxicities in extreme cases. Adherence to dairy and beef withdrawal periods following treatment is vital.

If there are any concerns that a treatment has not worked, talk to your vet or animal health adviser about a post-treatment efficacy check.